Today's post comes thanks to my third cousin, Phyllis, who first discovered our mutual great-great-grandmother, Bridget (Hynes) Wynne, was admitted to the Dublin Workhouse, on 30 October 1895.
By 1895, in addition to catering for the destitute poor, the workhouse infirmary acted as a public hospital. Still, this probably did little to relieve Bridget of the awful stigma generally attached to workhouse inmates, and her admission was undoubtedly hugely distressing for her and the whole family.
Bridget was suffering from bronchitis and was referred to the infirmary with a note from her doctor, a Mr. Newell, who presumably felt she needed urgent medical attention she could not receive at home. Thankfully, her stay in the dreaded institution was brief, and she was released five days later, on 5 November.
Although admitted under the variant surname 'Wynn', there is no doubt this was our Bridget, given her stated age of sixty-four years is consistent with our estimates and she entered the workhouse from her known home address - 4 Christ Church Place.
Also, we know Bridget was ill at the time. She died not long afterwards, on 17 December 1895. Her cause of death was listed as 'phthisis', a lung disease now commonly known as tuberculosis, which, without modern-day medicines, would have seen Bridget literally waste away, over many months, before her family's eyes.
One thing we also learn from this record - Bridget worked, outside the home, as a packer's assistant. Our family lore tells us she was a midwife, and I did find a hint of evidence to support this, discussed previously here, so the day-job comes somewhat as a surprise.
By 1895, in addition to catering for the destitute poor, the workhouse infirmary acted as a public hospital. Still, this probably did little to relieve Bridget of the awful stigma generally attached to workhouse inmates, and her admission was undoubtedly hugely distressing for her and the whole family.
Bridget was suffering from bronchitis and was referred to the infirmary with a note from her doctor, a Mr. Newell, who presumably felt she needed urgent medical attention she could not receive at home. Thankfully, her stay in the dreaded institution was brief, and she was released five days later, on 5 November.
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Bridget
Wynn (c.1831-1895), Dublin Workhouse, 1895, accessed $Findmypast (Click on image to enlarge)
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Although admitted under the variant surname 'Wynn', there is no doubt this was our Bridget, given her stated age of sixty-four years is consistent with our estimates and she entered the workhouse from her known home address - 4 Christ Church Place.
Also, we know Bridget was ill at the time. She died not long afterwards, on 17 December 1895. Her cause of death was listed as 'phthisis', a lung disease now commonly known as tuberculosis, which, without modern-day medicines, would have seen Bridget literally waste away, over many months, before her family's eyes.
One thing we also learn from this record - Bridget worked, outside the home, as a packer's assistant. Our family lore tells us she was a midwife, and I did find a hint of evidence to support this, discussed previously here, so the day-job comes somewhat as a surprise.
Oh, Dara, so sad to find an ancestor's name in poorhouse or workhouse records. In my husband's family, there was an early 20th century ancestor who had chronic heart disease and was placed in an "asylum" because of its long-term-care medical facilities. Family members say he was weak and ill, not mentally incompetent.
ReplyDeleteIt is sad, Marian, as we know the conditions there were appalling. Stroke victims here were also placed in asylums, as well as people with other physical illnesses, like epilepsy. Perhaps, it was because they did not understand the disease.
DeleteThanks Dara and Phyllis...Yes, sad.
ReplyDeleteThose days before modern medicine were truly awful. It's surprising how our ancestor's sad stories from the past have such an impact on our emotions so many years later.
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